Hanoi trip (Day 4)

Rising to the tranquil beauty of the bay about 6am local time, Jo Anne and I were trying to see if we could watch the sunrise but were not able to do as there was no horizon. However, we managed to capture some shots of the early morning view of the bay.

After breakfast, we continued to move around the bay to a much more secluded area for kayaking. The kayaks were lightweight and easy to use. Jo Anne and I kayak around for half an hour for the sake of trying. The below photo is not us though ;).

Around 10-ish, we returned on board for a final glimpse of the Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock before transferring to our awaiting vehicle for a 3 hours journey back to Hanoi. More great shots of the bay and close up of the karsts..

With the relaxing and revitalizing cruise over, we headed back to the capital and reached around 4pm local time.

As we had a couple of hours before dinner at the famous Bobby Chinn restaurant, Han San, Pixie, Jo Anne and I took the opportunity to shop around the Old Quarter for souvenirs. It sure is not a great idea shopping in Hanoi during summer time with the humid weather as I was drenching in sweat most of the time. Felt like a salted fish.. =p

During the 2 hours, I managed to buy beaded coin pouches for my colleagues as souvenirs, some fridge magnets and a shawl for myself. Once again, thanks to Han San quick tips on how to bargain, I managed to earn a couple of free magnets =). I was not the biggest purchaser for the day though as Han San bought a whole lot of BAGSS!! Check the below out.

We headed next to Restaurant Bobby Chinn for dinner. Overlooking the enchanted waters of Hoan Kiem Lake at the heart of Hanoi, the restaurant serves up a mixture of California and Asian cuisine.

I had the Symphony of Flavors, a perfect bite to savour the delicacies of the Viatnamese.

And there were still room for the deadly desserts..four different types of it..yummy!!

Han San was so adamant to have his 'Pho' (flat noodle) that we went straight to have one right after dinner at Pho24 which is merely 5 mins down the road.

It was quite a distance to walk that we took a taxi back to our hotel to retire for the night.